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Doctors also warn that they are starting to see cases of liver disease in patients as young as in their twenties and early thirties, almost unheard of a decade ago.

An increase in the strength of the average bottle of wine in recent years has been partly to blame, experts warn.

Confusion over what makes up one unit of alcohol unit means that many people do not realise just how much they are drinking.

The offers, which typically include dinner for two and a bottle of wine for £10, have grown in popularity in recent months.

They are offered by a number of supermarkets including Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.

The British Liver Trust warned that the offers were helping to “normalise” drinking to excessive levels.

Sarah Matthews, from the charity, said: “Alcohol is now marketed as a staple part of our diet in the UK.

“The way it is advertised, positioned in stores and its sheer cheapness leads people into feeling that buying and consuming large amounts of alcohol regularly is just the same as life’s essentials like bread and milk.

“Supermarkets that package a bottle of wine with a £10 ‘credit crunch’ meal give the message that sharing a bottle of wine is just an everyday meal but long-term this is the type of drinking that can cause liver disease and other serious health problems.”

The charity said that people should have at least two days a week free from drinking to help their body recover.

Even just half a bottle of wine contains around five units, twice as much as the two to three units a day women are advised to drink and more than the three to four units a day limit advised for men.

Sharing a bottle three times a week would push women over their recommended weekly limit.

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern said: “People should be encouraged to moderate their intake.

“Half a bottle a day is too much.

“There should always be a healthy alternative offered to wine.”

More than 4,500 people die every year in Britain from alcoholic liver failure.

A spokesman for Waitrose said: “We have run three meal deals this year and offered an alternative to alcohol in each.

“We have a responsible approach to retailing and were the first retailer to introduce health information on alcohol shelf tickets.”

Sainsbury’s said that their dine in for two for £10 promotion provided “great value” for consumers but always included a non-alcoholic option.

A spokesman for Marks & Spencer said that customers could always choose a non-alcoholic drink as part of their offer.